Magic Words by Lynn White

Magic Words



They say you have a magic tongue

that can weave the words 

falling 

from your mouth into tapestries 

laced with gold thread.

Curl the words into scented ringlets

of flowers

formed by petals shining like

stars even in the sunlight.

I want to catch them and hold on to them

without any rearranging.

To soak myself in their perfection,

indulge

so I can keep them with me

when the magic turns dark

black

and the golden threads hard,

when you turn them to sharp steel.

They’re still your words with a kind of magic

twisted together by your tongue 

but they have become

projectiles,

explosions of your anger and despair

falling,

but no longer falling

gently.

I’m going to catch them and hold them now

so that I can rearrange them

back

to what they were.



*First published by Ugly Writers September 2018*

About the Poet:

Lynn White lives in north Wales. Her work is influenced by issues of social justice and events, places and people she has known or imagined. She is especially interested in exploring the boundaries of dream, fantasy and reality. She was shortlisted in the Theatre Cloud ‘War Poetry for Today’ competition and has been nominated for a Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net and a Rhysling Award. Her poetry has appeared in many publications including: Apogee, Firewords, Capsule Stories, Light Journal and So It Goes.